


Out Of The Looking Glass

by AsagiStilinski



Series: Yuri!!! Down Under [11]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Aged-Up Yuri Plisetsky, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Australia, Alternate Universe - Veterinarians, Anger, Angry Yuri Plisetsky, Apologies, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Character's Name Spelled as Yuri, Communication, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Established Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, Established Relationship, Gen, Lack of Communication, M/M, Minor mention of animal death, Misunderstandings, Veterinarian Victor Nikiforov, Victor Nikiforov Needs a Hug, Wildlife Educator Katsuki Yuuri, Yuri Plisetsky Being Yuri Plisetsky, veterinarian yuri plisetsky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24265189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: Tensions between Yura and Viktor finally hit their peak after Yura digs a little too deep into a recent source of pain, and Yura starts to wonder if perhaps he's made a mistake in how he's handled this situation thus far
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, Victor Nikiforov & Yuri Plisetsky
Series: Yuri!!! Down Under [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638880
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	Out Of The Looking Glass

**Author's Note:**

> If you're interested in seeing more about our Australia verse, please visit our Tumblr where you can find art, headcanons, and more! https://madaliceproductions.tumblr.com/

Sometimes bad days hit out of the blue.

Yura would wake feeling totally fine, and the next thing he knew, everything was just a pile of bullshit, with a clear path of how it got there. Other days, he woke up _knowing_ subconsciously, like a sixth sense, that the day was going to suck.

This bad day was of _that_ variety.

The morning started out well enough, even though he was on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But like most mornings with Otabek, things went off without a hitch. They had breakfast and got ready for work. Yura went off to the zoo, bemoaning why he chose a job that started so early in the morning. It was all normal, all fine. Hell, even the first couple of hours after getting to work went smoothly.

It wasn't until the early afternoon that the bomb was lit beneath him, and he found out why he had gotten up that morning with an impending sense of dread. 

Yuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov brought a dark cloud with them when they arrived at the zoo, and for once, that wasn't just Yura's perception. The cloud wasn't one of Yura’s making, one of anger and bitterness he held against them as the lovebirds flirted and fawned over each other while Yura reevaluated his gag reflex. Rather, it was a palpable tension between _them_ with heavy emotion that seemed to flicker between sadness and frustration. A deep melancholy so unusual for them, it was as if they just returned from a funeral.

Though, if that were the case, surely they'd have dressed more appropriately than cargo shorts.

Yura watched the two of them walk through the staff room, seeming uncharacteristically out of step with each other as Yuri wordlessly left Viktor at the entryway to get a water bottle from the fridge. And because Yura was well versed in pouring salt on open wounds, he decided to be blunt.

"Yeesh, who the fuck died?"

Both of them tensed. Yuri had a look of hesitation, while Viktor opened his mouth, as though about to reply, before shutting it again and ignoring Yura instead. His hands curled and uncurled before he finally said a quick, "I'm going to the car," to Yuri and vanished around the corner.

The two Yuris were left alone, one stunned, the other irritated. Silence hung heavily between them before Yuri sighed, his shoulders sagging. 

"Ya' know, you have the most incredible talent for saying the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong time."

That sentence wasn't even insulting, but coming from Katsuki, who was one of the most disgustingly _nice_ people Yura had ever met, it was like ice water being poured over his head.

"What the fuck did I do?!"

"You just—"

Yuri paused, exhaled, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yura, I know you're not as bad with people as you pretend to be. Can't you be a little more tactful every once in a while?"

"And how, exactly, was I lacking tact?"

"You... don't think there's _anything_ wrong with asking _who died_ when people—who are clearly in a grim place—walk into a room? Especially knowing one of 'em has PTSD _related to death_?"

… Oh.

That was a point he hadn't considered. But like hell he'd admit that out loud.

"Soooooo ... somebody _did_ die?"

Yuri looked half-way crossed between resigned and mournful as he slowly moved closer, grabbing an extra chair and sitting backwards on it. As he fidgeted with the water bottle, Yura wondered if sitting like that was something Yuri had picked up in Australia, or if it was just in-born in him.

It didn't really suit him.

"We... were on our way back from filming these last few days, and... we saw a roo on the road. She had a baby, too. We managed to save the joey but... it was too late to do anything about the mum. It's... a really sickeningly enormous problem here. It happens so often... well, I've seen my fair share of it. Ya' don't even have to work at a zoo to see your fair share of _that_ , but Viktor... I don't think he's ever seen _anything_ like that till now. Let's just say it wasn't good for him and end it there."

But Yura wanted to keep pushing. That was in his nature. "So, he flipped out or something?"

"He did not _flip out_. He had a panic attack. A really bad one. It was very... none of what we just had to see—had to _do_ —was gonna be pretty, no matter who you are. But Viktor... that's the last thing he needed to go through."

Absently, Yura picked at his food, letting his thoughts gather, trying to form them in the least offensive way possible. "Is that all that happened? Seems like saving the baby should've been a win, at least."

"Trauma doesn't really work like that."

"Mmm... no, but I still think there's more to it. I've seen you two before when something triggers him. Maybe not as bad as what you're saying but ... even the _tiniest_ thing, and you're all over him like a cheap suit. But now... he's out there, you're in here. What, did you two have some kind of little spat?" Yuri tensed, and Yura knew he hit the nail on the head. "What did you do? What did _he_ do?"

"Why is this your business?" Yuri finally sighed, pushing up from the chair and returning it to its rightful position. "Ya' know somethin'? You're right. I need to be with him. I wanted to give him some space but... he needs to rehydrate himself."

Yura could have called out to Yuri as he disappeared around the corner, but he decided not to. He doubted it would change the course of action.

~+~

Two days passed, and Yura heard nothing from either of them. On the third day, halfway into the afternoon, the cavalry arrived—Katsuki, Nikiforov, and their cameramen, there to do a segment about the rescued kangaroo.

The love birds were all over each other again, as though nothing had happened. Although, Yura did notice something a little different about Viktor this time around. He was wearing a choker. It was plain black with a silver charm in the center that Yura couldn't identify from far away. But just the fact that he was wearing it at all was weird. The blonde had never seen Viktor sporting any kind of jewelry before, other than his lucky rainbow bracelet, so why now and why a choker of all things?

Otabek liked to compare Yura to a cat—for a lot of reasons, one of which being his insatiable curiosity. A curiosity which was getting ready to pounce on an unsuspecting victim.

"Viktor, sweetie, would you run to the cafe` and grab us some water?"

"Of course!"

With a kiss to Yuri's cheek, the vet turned on his heel and headed off, providing Yura with the perfect opportunity to follow him and get some information. Or at least, he _hoped_ he would get some information.

"Hey, Nikiforov!" Stopping dead in his tracks, Viktor turned towards Yura, a look of hesitation on his face. "What's with the man-jewelry?"

That actually brought a smile to his expression, the older man lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Oh, this? It's an ouroboros! Do you like it?" he asked excitedly, fingers sliding delicately beneath the charm so Yura could get a better look. It seemed like a snake eating its own tail. _What the fuck?_ "It symbolizes rebirth, eternity, repetition of cycles, creation from destruction, fer—"

"Aaaaand I've stopped caring. Why are you wearing that ugly thing?"

"Yuri gave it to me." Of course. "And it's not ugly. it's beautiful! We spent half the day looking for a shop that sold these. I nev—"

"Again, I've stopped caring. I guess you two made up then?"

Ah, there went the smile, faltering into something more somber. "Yes, we did. How much... do you know about all that, from a few days ago?"

"Not much. Your little boyfriend's not as chatty as I'd hoped."

"Oh."

"So, are you gonna tell me? I thought you two were some sort of fucking golden couple who never fought or some shit. Did your _episode_ piss him off that much?"

Yura expected Viktor to back down, to curl in on himself and brush away those comments. But instead, he looked _angry_ , his teeth gritting and his eyes narrowing. "It did not _piss him off_! I... Yuri was trying to protect me, and I let my ego get the better of me. Yuri was never angry with me. I was angry with myself and with him, briefly, before I... why am I telling you all of this?"

"So, it _is_ your fault," Yura noted, almost smugly.

"Why do you care? Why are you so... _cruel_? Is this about that thing from before? You think that just because I moved to a different aspect of my profession, it stains my reputation?"

"Oh, please. You didn't move onto a 'different aspect' of jack shit. You dropped the best thing that ever happened to you and traded it for being the sidekick to a virtual three-ring circus!"

" _Yuri_ is the best thing that ever happened to me! My career was hurting me the way it was before. Why don't you understand that!?"

"Why don't _you_ understand that it isn't about _you_? Are you so selfish that you can't go through a little pain to serve a greater good?"

Viktor exhaled slowly before dropping his voice as he dragged his fingers through his hair, free hand on his hip. "Is that what you think? That I'm selfish for trading the way you perceive my career for my own sanity? You're so young, Yura, and you've done so much with your life already. I hope you don't burn out and fall apart, but if you do, I hope Otabek will be able to put you back together, the way Yuri did for me."

"Don't drag Beka into this. He's twice the man either of you will ever be," Yura snapped, but it didn't make Viktor angry the way he was hoping. Instead, it only made him look... _sadder_. _Pitying_.

Yura hated it.

"You know... I'm not _that_ much older than you are, but what a difference a few years make. If someone told me when I was your age that in only a few years, my life would change this drastically, that _I_ would have changed this drastically, I suppose I would have laughed at them. Or maybe I would have been angry at them for suggesting such a thing. But I wouldn't have believed them. You don't know what you're made of until something tries to break you. You don't know how easily breakable you are."

"Maybe you're easily breakable, but I'm not. So your patient died. Big fucking deal. You were a doctor. That comes with the job description. Or are you just so arrogant that you really believed it would never happen to you?"

Viktor was quiet for a moment, forcing a sad smile. "Hm, maybe. I guess we'll never know." What the hell kind of response was _that_!? "Tell me something, though, Yura. Has it happened to you yet? Losing a patient?"

Swallowing, the blonde narrowed his eyes, his posture tensing. "Yes, and I'm still standing here. I didn't let it break me."

Viktor's expression didn't change necessarily, but Yura could tell there was something a bit different about it all the same. "Ah... so maybe you're stronger than I am. Good for you."

"What do you mean 'maybe'!? I CLEARLY am!"

"Strength is made up of more than just the ability to stand after something tries to knock you over. There's more to it than endurance. But why does any of that matter?" Yura bit the inside of his cheek, unsure of how to respond because somehow he felt like _‘It just does’_ wasn't an appropriate argument. "Maybe because once upon a time, _I_ mattered to you," Viktor suggested, continuing before Yura could snap something back at him. "I used to be someone you respected, right? Maybe someone you wanted to be like? And you can't stand knowing that I'm not superhuman."

"Fucker. Nobody is asking you to be _superhuman_. It's just disgusting that you're so weak, you can't manage to stick it out when things get hard. You broke through the world like a bat out of hell, and then right when you got to the top, you just... let it all go and fell over. You could have been more. You could have been _better_. You chose not to be, and it sickens me."

Viktor exhaled quietly, his expression falling a little bit more. "I hope someday you understand how wrong you are, Yura. But I also hope getting to that point doesn't hurt you as badly as it hurt me." Then he turned to leave, and the protests died on Yura's tongue.

~+~

"You got a movie gig?"

"That's not really... how I would phrase it." Otabek chuckled softly as he sliced into the onions on his cutting board. "I'm taking photos for some movie posters. It's... not the same, but it's for a pretty big museum expo, so I guess that's a success."

"Hell yeah, it sounds like a success! I wanna come with you!"

"Don't you have work?" Otabek smirked.

"Oh, come on. I can take a few vacation days and go shark diving with you. It sounds like a blast!" Yura insisted with a bright, beaming smile.

"Okay. Just as long as you understand that it isn't a vacation. This is my job. I may not be saving lives or anything like you do, but it's still important that I keep to strict conditions, or the entire trip will be for nothing."

Yura snorted and propped his chin up on his palm as he watched his boyfriend cook. "I know that. And don't say it as if your job's not important. Your job is just as important as mine. Just 'cause you're using a camera instead of a scalpel, doesn't mean you're not saving lives too. You said this is for a museum expo, right? About shark conservation? That's just as important as what I do. The more people see the beauty in these animals, the less people will try to hurt them, and the less I'll have to do to save them. It's like our own ecosystem. Your job helps my job, and we both help the world around us."

Otabek glanced up from the cutting board, offering a slight smile, but it seemed pinched, and he didn't actually say anything. Not unusual, but Yura still expected more of a response than that.

"What? Do you not believe me?" 

"Well... more like I'm not sure if _you_ believe you," Otabek corrected, picking up the cutting board and raking the chopped onions into the pot on the stove.

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" Yura balked.

"It means... everything you just said... it's kind of the same thing that Viktor Nikiforov has been saying all this time, isn't it? But you always say what he does is some kind of betrayal to veterinary work."

"B-Because it IS! Because he _was_ a vet, but now he's just some fucking side piece to a Jack Hannah wannabe! It's TOTALLY different!"

"Is it, though?" Otabek frowned. "I mean, their ratings are great, and they're reaching out to younger audiences that will grow up to care about protecting animals as much as we do. And Viktor may not be performing surgeries or treating terminal illnesses or anything like that these days, but he's still involved in medicine. He's still probably saving more lives than I am."

"Why are you defending him all of a sudden?" Yura huffed.

"I'm not 'defending' anyone. But my job _really_ isn't that different from what he and his boyfriend are doing. If anything, they're making a bigger impact than I am. So is it unreasonable of me to apply it to my own work when you insult their's so often?" Yura deflated, his shoulders sagging. He hadn't thought about it that way. He hadn't ever considered comparing what Nikiforov and Katsuki did to what Otabek did. "And even if you do think education and awareness work is important, it's clear you don't think it's _as_ important as medicine. You’ve said that when talking about Viktor... what, a dozen times in the last week alone? It's not that I'm taking it personally, but..."

"But you think I sound like a hypocrite, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Otabek's silence was the only answer he needed. 

"Why does it bother you so much? What Viktor does with his life?" Otabek asked after a beat as he reached for a couple of peppers.

"It doesn't. I don't care. I just..." Yura paused, trying to think of the best way to say it. _‘I want him to suffer for his choices’_ probably didn't sound like a very good response. "I just want him to understand that there were people who looked up to him who feel... _slighted_ now. People can't take him seriously anymore. He was a big deal, ya' know? He was an inspiration, and he just gave it all up. And all the people who were inspired by him had to watch from the sidelines as he went from this great thing they could aspire to be to a joke. He doesn't get it, or if he does, he doesn't _care_. He doesn't care about the people he hurt, so..."

"So... you want to hurt him yourself to make him feel that pain regardless?"

"Well, when you say it like that, it makes me sound like a psychopath." Yura huffed. Suddenly no longer content with just watching Otabek cook, he hopped down from his chair. He wanted to take the evening off after a long and stressful day, but... now he needed to do something to keep himself busy.

"I get it, though," Otabek offered as Yura walked over to grab some bread. "It's like watching the unmasking of Batman. You spend your life thinking he's this great superhero, and then you pull off the cowl, and he's just some rich guy in a costume. It's... disarming."

_"And you can't stand knowing that I'm not superhuman."_

Those words echoed in Yura's mind as he set the bread on the counter, and his nose wrinkled in distaste. "I don't like that analogy," he grumbled back.

"You know there are probably a lot more people inspired by him _now_ than there were then, don't you? Now that he's more of a public figure and not just someone whispered about in specific circles?"

"So?!" Yura snapped, spinning around on his heel. "I don't care! I was here first, and he just totally fucking—" The words _’abandoned me’_ died on his tongue.

He didn't want to say them. He didn't want them to _exist_. Viktor didn’t abandon him. He didn’t even _know_ Yura when he was a kid … 

Yura startled as Potya rubbed against his legs, her meowing echoing through the otherwise quiet kitchen. Silently, Yura reached down and scooped her up, snuggling the cat while she caught a few strands of his long hair in her mouth and tugged playfully on them.

"I used to wish I was a cat, you know," he noted quietly, though he wasn't really sure if he was talking to Otabek or Potya. Or maybe himself. "I used to think life would be so much easier. I still think it would be. Nobody would care who I loved or what decisions I made or who I became if I was a cat." Cats get unconditional love by billions of people just by existing. How great was that? How lucky were they? "I always loved animals. They never judged me. They never expected anything of me. They always gave me what nobody else gave me, except for my grandpa, of course."

Love and freedom and the knowledge that nothing he did or said or _was_ could ever make them care for him less. As long as he cared for them, they would care for him back. Animals were truly amazing. They lacked the ego and prejudice and bullshit that humans stuffed into their heads from the moment of birth. They were innocent, they were pure, and they loved unconditionally. Yura had always admired them for it and vowed he would protect them and take care of them, just like they did him.

He had always known it would be an uphill battle to get there. Especially as some nobody, low-income gay kid from Russia with nothing that could ever get him to the places he needed to be, except for pure willpower and exceptionalism. He saw a part of himself in Viktor back then, when he first started hearing about him, and he used Viktor as an effigy to motivate himself to get there. As living proof that Yura wasn't trying to do the impossible. He was just trying to do the improbable.

_"And you can't stand knowing that I'm not superhuman_."

"Maybe the bastard is right about something," Yura muttered quietly, just loudly enough for Potya to hear him… but then he glanced up from where he was scratching beneath the cat's chin, locking eyes with Otabek, and his cheeks burned. "Hey, Beka? I'll be back in a little bit, okay? I've got something I've gotta do."

Otabek's lips ticked up slightly, and he nodded as he turned away from chopping peppers to give Yura a kiss. "Take your time."

~+~

It wasn't the first time that Yura had gone to the Katsuki-Nikiforov household, but he still didn't necessarily feel comfortable there. All the same, Yura got out of the car, stalked up the porch steps, and banged on the door.

Barking dogs acted as an alarm, and he waited impatiently for someone to answer. But when they finally did, he almost wished they hadn't. Taylor Swift was playing in the background, Katsuki was in a skirt, and it looked as though he and his partner had been engaged in some sort of physical activity.

"...Do I even want to know what I'm interrupting?"

"We were dancing," Viktor replied brightly as he wrapped an arm around his partner. His face was slightly flushed, and his breathing was a little heavy. "It turns out Yuri used to skate when he was a child. Isn't that neat? I—"

"I don't care," Yura said quickly, cutting off the other Russian. "I need to talk to you about something. _Alone_." He turned to Yuri, a look of annoyance on his face. "That means you get out."

"Alright, alright. I'll go upstairs and—"

"No, I mean _out of the **house**_."

For a moment, Yuri's eyebrows raised, then they narrowed, his face scrunching up in confusion and offense. "You... are you seriously telling me to get out of my own house?"

"Did I stutter?" 

"What, you think I'm just gonna go up to the bottle-o and just... hang around like some bogan until you two are done?"

"Yeah." Yura crossed arms.

For a moment, Yuri was silent, as though trying to process that information, before turning to Viktor. "Are you alright with this?"

"Not with you getting kicked out of your own house, no. But... I'm fine with spending time alone with Yura. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Famous last words." Yuri sighed and rubbed his face, clearly exasperated, before turning back to Yura. "I guess I _should_ go up to the serv-o and fill up before our trip tomorrow. That way we won't need to stop on the way. Just let me get my thongs."

"Gross. I'd prefer if you didn't."

Yuri's face scrunched again, clearly increasing in annoyance by the moment. " _Shoes_. They're _shoes_ ," he explained, before he turned to get his flip flops from the kitchen, muttering something about being buggered. When he returned, his attention was on Viktor. "Need anything, possum?"

"If you're going inside the store, can you bring back some mini doughnuts and a slushie?" Viktor asked, eyes lighting up gleefully.

At least that seemed to ease Yuri's mood considerably. "Sure," he hummed back before leaning up for a quick kiss. "I'll be back soon. Don't burn the house down, or I'll haunt your graves," Yuri warned before finally passing Yura to get outside and leaving the two Russians alone.

"...Doesn't he mean that _we_ would haunt _him_?" Yura frowned with confusion as he followed Viktor into the living room.

"Oh, no, no. Yuri loves this house. It's his greatest accomplishment besides the show. If anything happened to it, he would _definitely_ haunt us." Viktor chuckled as he fell back against the couch.

"Great. I guess I'll have to remember not to set off any paint bombs in here," Yura muttered back sarcastically. He moved to perch on the edge of the coffee table in front of Viktor, who merely shrugged at his comment.

"So, what did you come to yell at me about this time? My relationship? My life choices? My face?"

"All tempting offers, but sadly, no." Unabashed by that, Viktor merely raised a brow, silently encouraging Yura to continue. "Look, I... I guess I just... want to say that... that I won't be doing that anymore, you know... Ruthlessly attacking you for shit that's none of my business? And... and I guess maybe I'm... sorry... that I did it in the first place. It's not for me or anyone else to judge what you've been through or how it impacts your choices. Or the choices you make about your personal life, anyway. So... there. Consider the apology given."

Now Viktor looked firmly stunned. His mouth hung slightly open for a moment. "What... brought all of that on? What changed your mind?"

"Talking to Beka." Yura shrugged, his eyes pinned to the floor, refusing to look at Viktor. "I realized that maybe... it wasn't really your career I was pissed about, or anything regarding it. I was just... mad at you, personally. I looked up to you, and when you disappeared, I felt like... like some part of _me_ disappeared. The person I wanted to become... I felt like I was even more alone than before, I guess. And then when I found out you'd come back in a way I thought was beneath you... It really pissed me off. It felt like a betrayal, to be honest. I didn't even know why you left in the first place until weeks after I saw that first video of you and Yuri. I thought you dropped everything for a relationship, and that pissed me off. Finding out you didn't have a 'legitimate' reason for quitting the field pissed me off. And what pissed me off the most was that you're a goddamn prodigy but you... you play dumb in front of the camera just to make your boyfriend look smarter. I'd already been mad about all of those things for weeks by the time I learned why you really left, but by then, I couldn't reason it out in my head. I couldn't... accept it. I'd already made up my mind to be angry, so I just kept being angry. And everything you've said and done about it since has seemed like a cheap excuse instead of sincerity. So... are you going to accept the apology or not?"

"I am, I am," Viktor promised quickly, his expression warm and even a bit shy. "I do want to make sure you understand, though. The reason I let Yuri ‘teach’ me things isn't to make him look good, it's—"

"I know, I know. Some kind of coping mechanism. I'm not going to say I understand it, but you've said it enough."

"It... removes the burden of guilt." Viktor explained. "I'm sure it sounds kind of ridiculous but... it allows Yuri to have the control. If I'm not in control of something, then I don't have to feel like it's my fault if something terrible happens. Letting him teach me things I already know... I guess in a way, it removes the pressure on me to know them. My memory isn't the best, and even for someone with an impeccable memory, it's really … a lot. Being a professional and dealing with animals, there's just always so _much_ of everything. It's easier not to blame myself for forgetting something or not knowing it in the first place or making a mistake if I... if I just let Yuri be the keeper of the information. 

“It never started that way. When we met, I just wanted to get close to him, and it was a misunderstanding that turned into what it is now. But it worked out pretty well in the end, I think, with Yuri being the star of the show and all. He's much better than I am at rolling facts off of his tongue quickly and efficiently. I don't know how he manages. I'd get tongue-tied." Viktor punctuated that with a laugh, and for the first time in their relationship, Yura actually felt kind of amused himself. 

Getting it all out in the open like this, coming clean, it allowed him to feel... _freer_.

It made some of that anger go away and allowed him to start a new path. One where he wasn't bogged down every day with his frustrations and misplaced hatred of Viktor. Maybe... even one where they could be friends.

Maybe.

Someday.

That wasn't on his immediate to-do list or anything, though, and if anyone ever asked if he was considering it, Yura would deny it instantly. 

But yeah, maybe someday.

"Well, now that this disgusting display of bullshittery is over with. I have to get back home to Beka. He's making Italian, and we're going to discuss our upcoming trip to the reef. He's got this cool gig taking shark pictures for a museum expo." Yura rose from his perch the coffee table.

"That sounds delightful. You're going with him, I take it?" 

"Mm-hm. A couple of weeks from now, I'm going to put in for a few days off."

"Oh! So, you're pulling a sickie?"

Yura paused, halfway out of the living room, and turned to glare at Viktor over his shoulder. "...What?"

"It' ... slang? For playing hookie?"

"Firstly, it's not playing hookie if it's vacation days, you fucking moron. And secondly, it's bad enough that I have to second guess my English comprehension whenever your boyfriend gets on a roll. He has the accent to pull that shit off, but _you_ absolutely don't, so it just sounds stupid coming out of _your_ mouth. Don't do that shit."

"...My Yuri thinks it's cute." Viktor pouted

"Yeah? Well _this_ Yuri disagrees. _Heavily_." With that and a simple wave, he headed out of the house and back to his car, taking a long, slow breath once he was there and leaning against the door.

To think, he was actually considering making friends with that moron...

Well, he supposed he could make worse decisions.


End file.
